Taking aim
Washington - North America The Evergreen State is bordered on the north by Canada, Oregon to the south, Idaho on the east, and the Pacific to the west. The northwest corner consists of the Olympic Peninsula, with its rainforests and the towering Olympic Mountains. However, the region east of the Cascades, the forested and sometimes volcanically active mountains running north to south through the state, is largely dry, including the arid Columbia Plateau in the south. Forming the border between Washington and Oregon is the Columbia River, one of the world's greatest sources of hydroelectric power. The state is home to a variety of industries, from lumbering to their famous apples to the manufacture of jet aircraft, missiles, and even spacecraft. Arcee's come out here not because there had been skirmishes here previously, but her scanner detected some traces of ionic radiation -- something that the Washington State coastline doesn't naturally produce. After driving for some time, she pulls off to the side of the road where she gets the strongest signal, and transforms, leaping down a small incline toward the coastline. She follows the strange radiation, until it leads to a point in the sand that's been washed over by the tide several times. There's nothing particularly remarkable about the point, so she begins digging... Minutes later, she begins to uncover a wayward ionic blaster! "Hm." Blast Off stands on a rocky outcropping not far away. The Combaticon is getting really sick of this particular stretch of beach. He crash-landed here after his heat shields failed him upon planetary reentry, and as if the radiation and burning from that hadn't been enough, his worst enemy, Blurr, discovered him crashed on the beach. It did not end well for the shuttleformer, and Dustoff had to come extricate him from *under* the rocks and sand. In the process, he lost his ionic blaster- and that's what he has returned for now. The Combaticon is freshly repaired now... but the crash and burn- on multiple fronts- is still fresh in his mind as well. Too fresh in his mind. He quietly surveys the terrain, then spots... is that Arcee? Arcee is standing there, curiously examining the ionic blaster in her hands. Definitely a Cybertronian weapon, she thinks. But *whose*? She begins looking for any identifying marks. She'd done inventory in the arsenals in both Decagon and Autobot City, and was fairly certain she'd never seen this particular gun before. So THAT narrowed the possibilities, somewhat. Arcee will not see many identifying marks on the blaster, but she will note that it looks expensive and has been meticulously kept.... it's quite odd that such a fine weapon, that was so cared for... is stuck in the sand of a remote Washington beach. There is an expensive scope on it, as well. It may be a sniper's rifle. Blast Off, meanwhile, stands and watches Arcee. Slag it all, this beach is nothing but bad news for him. He had hoped to simply slip in, find his blaster, and leave... but of course, now things are far more complicated. OF COURSE *sigh*. The Combaticon is not unarmed, even in root mode- a Combaticon? Unarmed? Ha! But it's just a laser rifle. Of course, he can still transform and orbital bombard an enemy- but that would destroy his weapon, too, and he wants it back. For now, he begins walking and hopping down the cliff, trying to get a little closer without being noticed. Arcee ponders some more, aiming the weapon at a rock and test-firing it to see what kind of damage it does. She planned on taking the weapon back to base no matter what, because she certainly wasn't going to leave it out here where it might fall into the wrong hands. Blast Off sighs to himself again. Yes, there are days he is convinced the Universe he loves really, really hates him. Especially on this beach, at least. His fingers come up to pinch between his optics in a "why me?" gesture, then he gets back to business and moves a little closer. Not too close, though, of course. He likes his distance. He's also... still in a bit of a mood after his experiences here. They wiped him out, not only physically but perhaps a bit mentally as well. He's not even sure he wants to fight, though of course he will if he needs to. And... perhaps he needs to. Arcee looks like she's about to take off with his weapon, and he certainly doesn't want to track it down into Autobot City. And- slag, is she firing it? Getting her Autofool germs all over it? How uncouth!!! He huffs, then pulls out the laser gun he brought with him and points at her. He doesn't fire yet, though, just moves a little closer. Arcee pauses, and blinks. Was that a HUFF she heard? That was most definitely a HUFF. She slowly turns and looks over at her favorite huffy Combaticon. "Oh, it's YOU. -- Wait a minute, this is YOURS. Isn't it? That's why you've got that little pea-shooter." She smiles slightly. Blast Off looks at Arcee, feeling more miserable and huffy by the minute. He stretches out his palm expectantly. "Yes, it is mine. Return to me that which is mine and I shall be on my way." "You know I can't do that," Arcee says in almost a matronly tone, tilting her head toward Blast Off with a smile as she levels the ionic blaster at him. "It wouldn't even be remotely ethical to hand this back to you. Also, it wouldn't be very smart, as you would then shoot me with it." Blast Off holds the laser rifle at Arcee. At least his aim is steady this time... it most certainly wasn't a few days ago. He's torn between not feeling up to a fight right now... and a growing anger at her pointing his own weapon at him. How...insulting. And... also not good. He accidentally shot himself with it not too long ago (another bad day, another long story...) and he knows it's rather unpleasant. He takes another step towards her. "Well.. you're not stupid then, I'll give you that much. But I am a civilized mech... I simply want my weapon back. I will go easy on you if you hand it over. If you do not, I ....shall not be kind." "You really must think I'm a serious dummy, Blast Off. Or you mustn't think I have a very good memory. Let's remember back to a time in the high desert, where I was protecting a human and you really took advantage of that situation," she says, looking more than a little annoyed. "So really, now the tables are turned. Please explain to me why I *shouldn't* take full advantage of this situation, and...oh, let's say, blasting you full of ionic radiation?" Blast Off rolls his optics in a very put-upon huff. Why oh why must he constantly have to deal with all these annoying, self-righteous Autofools? Why can't he just orbital bombard the entire planet, Autobot City included with it, and just be DONE with it? *sigh* Slag, he and the other Combaticons once tried to send the Earth into the Sun- and that almost worked, too... but NOOOOO, even the Decepticons didn't like that idea and had to go save this lousy mudball. He huffs again, gripping the laser rifle more tightly and settling in his aim. "I did not actually *harm* that fleshling, either, you may recall. I am not one for wanton violence. It should be used with precision, not wastefully. And YOU would just waste it. And then... I would have to return fire. If you'd like, I can transform and simply *blast* it away from you....." "What?? I would just WASTE it? What do you mean by that??" Arcee laughs. "And come on, why threaten me with your shuttle mode on a beach? Sure, you could blast me until I drop it, but you'd very likely ignite the ionic radiation as well. Not a good plan," Arcee says. "Tell you what...if you can wrestle it away from me, you can have it." She smiles sweetly. "Should be really simple for a big guy like you." Blast Off feels his fuel pressure rising, and works to keep calm and aloof. Violet-gray optics narrow as he continues pointing his laser rifle at the femme. It *should* be simple... but he knows full well it's not. Not that he'd admit to this or anything. But there's a reason he doesn't like getting up close and personal... he will lose. "I do NOT engage in such uncouth behavior... you want brute force? I'll just call up the rest of my team and I'll be HAPPY to show you brute force. He even has a name. Now GIVE me my weapon..." He takes another step towards her, palm still outreached. And sadly, she is correct- in shuttle mode he may well just destroy his weapon as well as Arcee. "How is fighting uncouth? Matter of fact, it would make the most sense, because I'm NOT just handing that weapon over to you," Arcee says pointedly. "Do I sense some...apprehension from you about a throw-down? I think I do. You're kind of reluctant," she says, "...Which is funny, because you don't *look* damaged. Why would you be threatening me with the horrors of getting stomped on by a gestalt...over...a little gun? And I mean, little." Blast Off sputters slightly, optics widening in indignation... especially at that *last* remark! "My GUN is /NOT/ LITTLE!" He takes another step towards the femme, and if the Combaticon had any strength in him at all, he WOULD aim to punch her lights out about now. But he's also not stupid, so he maintains control... though it isn't easy right now. Vents huff loudly. "And... I'm not... reluctant. I am a Combaticon warrior, I am afraid of no one! I simply do not ...deign to dirty myself with such "common" and "base" methods of fighting... I leave those to the likes of Brawl. Shooting takes far more skill." Blast Off also adds, muttering, "My gun is among the finest in the galaxy!!!" "OK, tell you what. Let's have a shootout. No altmodes, no fisticuffs...just...shooting. Since shooting is a skill. Deal?" Arcee asks. Blast Off tilts his head, considering her words... but suspicious nonetheless. "Very... well.... I shall win, obviously. There are none who can match my shooting skill. Certainly not YOU. Not... really anyone I know, actually. I have always excelled as a sniper..." Suddenly, Arcee tosses the ionic blaster over to Blast Off, and she pulls her pistol out of subspace. "Great! Let's do this." Blast Off catches the blaster, blinking in surprise at Arcee. Wait...WHAT? He looks down at his weapon, then the femme, still looking a bit confused. Optic brows furrow as he gazes at her again, and there's a slight cold cast to the violet-gray light that eminates from those optics. It's as if he's contemplating just shooting her now. Because really, he probably ought to. The fool. And yet... the Combaticon also considers himself *sophisticated*... and he did just make a deal. He huffs softly, and does not shoot just yet. "Yes, let's." "Any preference? Duel? Target shooting?" Arcee asks, acting 'civilized' now that she isn't holding the ionic blaster hostage anymore. Blast Off looks at her coldly. "I always prefer shooting Autobots, personally... but.. ladies first. I'll let you choose. I can win no matter what contest it is." In the meantime, the Combaticon gets out a gun cloth from subspace and begins cleaning and wiping off his weapon with it, making sure it's still functional. It looks okay.... "You are so supremely confident..." Arcee smirks, and thinks. She decides to take the opportunity to very subtly muck around with Blast Off's mind some more. She knows some subjects rile him up more than others, and she doesn't like to be very predictable when it comes to enemy encounters. "...You know, some femmes might find that an attractive quality in their mech," she adds casually. Blast Off does indeed look quite confident. It's kind of his thing, after all. "I have every reason to be confident." He finishes wiping his gun off, then looks expectantly to Arcee. Some of that smugness falters, however, at her last comment. There's a very brief, confused glance, then he seems to straighten himself even more than he already is and fidgets with his blaster. He quickly questions her, "What did you decide? I haven't got all day." Not that he's keen to change the subject or anything, of course not. "Oh, I'm leaving it up to you, because...you're the excellent sniper," Arcee says in almost a kind tone. "Right? You're the expert, you decide." She follows this up with a helpless smile. Blast Off stares at her a moment, taken aback. Then he goes into his usual cold and aloof demeanor... or tries to, but he's slightly more fidgety than usual. Hey, he can't help that he's the lonely Combaticon... But he's not a fool, either. His focus remains on the shooting... yes, the shooting. "I... very well. We can.... shoot...." He looks around. His optics come to rest on the fence posts seperating the highway from the beach. There's a flare of intense, angry purple as they bring back some bad memories. "...those fence posts." Arcee is a warrior, and not a psychologist. HOWEVER, a lot of psychology is involved in her line of work, especially because her enemy least expects her to best them in much of anything when she's in 'waif' mode. She really wasn't anticipating her waif mode to have much of ANY effect on the staunchly stubborn and vain Blast Off, but it's having way more of an effect than she anticipated. What was this business about fence posts?? Maybe she could find out, somehow, and file it in BO's ever-growing Intel file. "Something wrong?" she asks gently. Blast Off huffs quickly. "Absolutely nothing. A random choice is all. Now shall we get to shooting the fence posts or should I just go back to shooting you?" He gives her a cold stare. "It's what I ought to be doing, after all. But I am a gentlemech, so I shall engage in this little shooting demonstration." With that, he points his ionic blaster at a post perhaps 200 yards away and fires. Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 70: Success! Combat: Arcee compares her Accuracy to 70: Success! Arcee obliterates her own targeted fence post, and nods slowly at Blast Off's marksmanship. She has...a gut instinct, that this might not end well, but she's willing to see it through until he shoots at her -- at which time she already has her plan of attack in place. "Wow!! You made that look easy!" she flatters. Blast Off makes the tinest of shrugs. "Well, of course I did. I'm simply that good." He glances smugly at her, then aims towards a post even further away. "I can hit objects on this planet from outer space.... what makes you think anything like *this* would ever be a problem?" Of course, his accuracy is greatly reduced from that distance, but he's not going to mention it. But his aim really *is* good, and coupled with his ego... means he carries a great deal of pride about it. Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 75: Success! Combat: Arcee compares her Accuracy to 75: Failure :( Arcee focuses on her own target, and...whiffs. Well, she still hits the fence, but the targeting is noticably off, and she hmphs. "Well! That settles it, then. Congratulations!" She decides to wait and see what the big-egoed shuttleformer is going to do. Is he going to attack immediately? Brag? Taunt? Blast Off is going to brag, of course. He looks smugly at the femme, shaking his head in mock sadness. "Thank you... but that was rather... disappointing, I'm afraid. However, I suppose you didn't stand a chance against my shooting skills. Let that be a lesson to you, anytime we face in the field of battle. You simply cannot compare. Very few Autofools can even get close to my shooting skills. I was not chosen as the sniper of the Combaticons for no reason, after all." (Oh, for Primus sakes,) Arcee thinks to herself in disgust. She almost just wants to shoot him in the head NOW and be done with it, but she senses she's tapped into...something. She isn't sure what, but maybe she can get something useful out of him. This is what Blurr seems to miss about 'Intel' work. Sure, sometimes you have to get violent, but most of the time, it's more like a game of chess. Trying to outfox your opponent. "Yeah, too bad for me!" she giggles cheerfully. (Can't believe he's eating up this drek.) Blast Off gives Arcee a glance, optic ridge raised. "You sound almost... cheerful about that. Is this somehow amusing to you?" His gaze then returns to his rifle, which he wipes free of a little more sand. Glancing back up at the fenceposts, he seems unhappy again and suddenly whips out the weapon to fire several successive shots, hopefully obliterating each post... further and further out. Any post so destroyed seems to bring some small satisfaction... and yet none at all, at the same time somehow. Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 80: Success! Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 85: Failure :( Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 90: Failure :( Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 95: Failure :( Combat: Blast Off compares his Accuracy to 100: Success! "No, not at all, it's just that I can appreciate good marksmanship -- much like you can enjoy a good -- uh, Kaon Opera," Arcee falters slightly, not wanting to bring up the business in San Francisco that involved Wraith totally owning BO's aftside. "I think it's very impressive!" She smiles cutely. Blast Off huffs a little at missing a few posts, then gazes impassively at Arcee again. "Well... it *was*. I normally do far better than *that*, pfft." He looks for an excuse. "The... sun was in my optics." Pointing his weapon barrel down again, he replies, "However, yes... opera... or shooting... both involve a dedication to one's craft, and a natural talent for it. I have both as a sniper. and warrior." He raises an optic ridge again. "And what do *you* enjoy doing? I don't suppose you actually think you have some skills, as well?" "Well come on, give me a little more credit than THAT," Arcee laughs, resisting the urge to kick Blast Off to the ground and begin ripping off his armor plating violently. Remember, gather intel, gather intel! "You'll just have to get to know me a bit better, that's all. I'm just the pink femme from Tyger Pax who everyone assumes they know. But assumptions can be very wrong. Tell me, have you been here before? You were looking over at that targeting area like you'd seen it before," she asks innocently. Blast Off continues giving Arcee a mostly blank look, but the mention of posts gets an uncomfortable shifting of wing elevons. "No. Well, I mean... I was flying overhead and dropped my weapon. When I came down here, you had already found it." He holds it close with both hands, like he's gonna make slag well sure he *keeps* it this time. Then back to Arcee. "Well... that is correct, I suppose. Assumptions are foolish. Yet most mechs make them anyway. Not I, of course, but... many mechs do. Too many ruffians and not enough sophisticates..." "Do you think there's hope for me yet? Or did I miss my window of opportunity?" Arcee asks with a smile. Now, this could have several meanings...and she's entirely aware of this. Blast Off looks aloof, until Arcee asks her question... which causes the Combaticon to blink at her in confusion. He is not exactly the most socially adept individual... and can have trouble "reading" others. But her words are just ...odd... enough for him to realize he *doesn't* quite know. he leans back, just a bit suspiciously, and asks slowly, "...W- what? Opportunity for... what?" "To become sophisticated!" Arcee looks at Blast Off in benign surprise, as if that's all she ever meant in the first place. "Because I don't want to be a fool, I want to be a sophisticate." Blast Off looks at her even more suspiciously, but he does lean back and tilt his head appraisingly at her. "Really. You do, do you?" He doesn't sound convinced. "And why would you be asking me about this? I mean, I *know*, I AM the most sophisticated mech around..." But then he leans towards her a bit, holding his gun up. "...but I am also your enemy." "Because," Arcee says without skipping a beat, "You're very *obviously* the one who knows about such things. Opera, vintage enerwine...all of those things. You're an expert. And this isn't an 'official' matter between factions, it's a personal one. You know about the finer things, and I want to know, too!" Blast Off looks at Arcee dubiously, but he continues to listen, not shoot. For now. "I find this hard to believe. You're an Autofool, and a groundpounder. I expect this is simply a trick." He waits a moment, then continues, "However, let's say it was actually true. What do you think *I'm* supposed to do about this?" "Um...tell me what you think is really uncultured and base, and why that is, and then say how it could be made better," Arcee explains, hoping to hook the shuttleformer by his ego. Blast Off simply stares at her for a moment, distrust written all over his face. However, he keeps listening, eventually leaning slightly back and crossing his arms slightly. Though he still holds his weapon where he can bring it back up quickly. He thinks she's lying, but... he does like the sound of his own voice. And yet so few ever ask for his opinion!! No idea why... their loss, really. Finally, he asks, "...And what were you wondering about?" Arcee has no intentions to sneak-attack Blast Off when she's trying to get him to spill something useful...she's just doing the work that Blurr is too impatient to do. 3 seconds of coddling Blast Off's ego would be 3 seconds too much for him to bear. But SHE could do it! "If a Cybertronian wants to become more cultured, where's the best place for them to hone those impeccable tastes?" she asks, ignoring his suspicions and trying to look as innocent as possible. Blast Off looks doubtful, but answers her questions. He likes sounding like an expert on something, after all. "Well... My first response would be to say visit the Kaon Opera House, but that is, of course, not an option for you." He sounds a little smug and raises an optic ridge. "Well, not if you wished to live long. However...." His voice returns to a more even tone, and he gives her an honest answer. "I would recommend a couple of things... for one, check out the Aerial Dances in Vos... those are open to the public... of all factions. Quite a sophisticated crowd. Some riffraff, too, but just /ignore/ them. Vos is a good start. There is also a winery near Nova Cronum... which is also a good city for philosophy and culture. There is even... well, Tyger Pax, where... you are from, you said? Quite beautiful. Many attractions worth investigating." "Wow, that's very helpful," Arcee says with her waif-smile firmly in place. "Thank you!" She looks like she might be getting ready to go, but she's loitering to test the waters. Naturally, what she's expecting is a parting shot -- some kind of dirty trick, in which case, she's ready to take him down to the ground he detests so very much in order to pound him flat. But she just wants to see if he's egotistical enough to buy this 'OK, you're better, that's cool!' kind of personality that she uses to great effectiveness with other mechs. He just might, even though he seems to be fairly intelligent in other areas. Blast Off is intelligent... but his ego gets in his way. And he is indeed "egotistical enough to buy this"... or, at the very least, *want* to "buy it" somewhere deep down and subconciously. In addition, Blast Off (when he's not pushed to his limits or has a job to do) *is* a gentlemech at spark. Arcee did give him his weapon, and complimented him. He'll destroy her eventually... but maybe not today. He nods in acknowledgement to her thank you, then, when her back is turned, he pulls out his weapon... and fires again at one of the fence posts. If she happens to look back at him, he will gaze impassively back at her. He *could* have shot her... but didn't. He's just... letting her know. Arcee smirks slightly as she looks back at her culture tutor, perhaps in faint amusement...then heads back up the beach embankment toward the road. She has a few notes to write into Intel's BO Files this evening.